Your weekly CLASSICAL MUSIC GUIDE
Festival Focus
Supplement to The Aspen Times
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Monday, June 23, 2014
Vol 25, No. 1
Aspen Music Festival Season Opens this Week as noted by Alan Fletcher, president and CEO of the AMFS. The mighty The Aspen Music Festival and School Beethoven, broadly speaking, is rec(AMFS) is renowned worldwide for ognized for leading the way into such bringing together the best rising young music, though he violated the Classimusicians and the top professionals cal sensibilities of the time enough that of our time. Together they present a people thought he had literally lost his program of depth and nuance, featur- mind and not just his hearing. ing hundreds of performances that In spite of that, the power and conrespect the fundamental artistry of nection of emotion in music took hold classical music and and never let go, and musicians, and celit has been threaded ebrate the joy and throughout classical wonder at the core music ever since. of this art form. This AMFS season Concerts begin features many great this Thursday, June Romantic worksâ 26, with an afterBeethovenâs Fifth noon of chamber Symphony (July 5), music at the AsBeethovenâs Ninth pen Chapel and Symphony (August an evening recital 17), Berliozâs phanpresented by AMFS tasmagoric SymMusic Director Robphonie fantastique Asadour Santourian ert Spano and star (June 29), Straussâs Vice President for Artistic Administration and violinist and Aspen Artistic Advisor of the AMFS glorious Alpine alumnus Robert Symphony (August McDuffie. There are up to eight events 3), to name a tiny fractionâbut also a day, running through Sunday, August contemporary composers who have 17. While concerts explore a wide vari- been influenced by Romanticism and ety of classical music, many focus on place their works in the context of the this yearâs theme of Romanticism. Romantic Era. One way to understand RomantiThese include composers Lowell cism in music is âart that celebrates Liebermann, whose opera The Picture emotional, physical, and spiritual ex- of Dorian Gray, based on the novel by perienceâ and âleads us away from Oscar Wilde, will be presented next its own internal practice and into our own feelings, moods, hopes, and fears,â See OVERVIEW, Festival Focus page 3 Tamara vallejos Festival Focus writer
[This seasonâs Romantic] composers are writing with accessible lyricism in their music.
alex irvin/amfs
Violinist and Aspen alumnus Robert McDuffie will open the 2014 season on June 26 at Harris Concert Hall with a recital with AMFS Music Director and pianist Robert Spano.
Alumna Returns as Guest Artist jessica cabe
Festival Focus writer
When Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) alumna Simone Porter was two years old, she used a line from Pucciniâs Tosca to ask for more milk in her sippy cup. âTosca sings, âMario, Mario!ââ Porter says. âAnd after listening to this CD of Puccini so many times, obsessively, I went into the kitchen holding a sippy cup and sang, âMommy-o, mommy-o, I want more milk!ââ Not long after, Porterâs parents, both professors who did not play music themselves, signed her up for violin lessons. She was three-and-a-half years old. Fourteen years later, Porter is making her AMFS debut as a guest artist, after spending seven summers in the School as a student. She will perform with the Aspen Chamber Symphony at 6 pm on Friday, June 27, in the Benedict Music Tent. Porter has attended multiple summer music pro-
grams, but she says Aspen consistently offers her favorite experiences. âIâm beyond excited to be back in Aspen,â Porter said. âAspenâs like nowhere else in the world. It was the first place that I found myself surrounded by other young people with similar passion and interest. The moment I leave to the moment I come back I spend looking forward to returning.â Porter first attended the AMFS when she was ten years old. She says her time at the School has been a major contribution to her growth as a young professional. âI discovered so much at Aspen,â Porter says. âIâve learned so much about every aspect of music playing, from private lessons to opportunities for solo performance, or playing in orchestra beside your colleagues and beside professionals, and sharing the stage with See PORTER, Festival Focus page 3
Philip pirolo
Seventeen-year-old violinist and Aspen alumna Simone Porter will make her guest artist debut with the Aspen Chamber Symphony at 6 pm on Friday in the Benedict Music Tent.
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